The Four Basic Factors of Aerobic Exercise
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008By David Berman
When performing aerobic exercise, there are four basic factors to consider:
- Mode – the type of exercise (i.e. walking, step machine, etc.)
- Intensity – the amount of effort you put forth
- Duration – the length of time the session takes
- Frequency – how often you will perform sessions
In choosing the MODE, pick an exercise that is pain free and one you enjoy doing. You’ll find that it will be easier to achieve your goals if you actually like what you are doing. If you prefer variety, you may choose to mix things up and do different MODES on different days.
The recommended FREQUENCY is 3-6 days per week.
The DURATION should be 20-60 minutes. This is just a guideline, and you can do more or less depending on your goals and based on your ability level. Doing less than 20 minutes (unless you intend to do multiple shorter sessions per day) is probably not going to be long enough to have the desired effects. Doing more than 60 minutes puts you at a point where continued equal effort does not result in equivalent benefits.
The INTENSITY of an exercise can be measured by the speed it is performed or by the resistance applied (or both). INTENSITY can be determined by perceived exertion (how hard it feels like you are working) and by heart rate. Try to get your heart rate up to 60% of your maximum heart rate (where maximum heart rate = 220 minus your age in years). To determine your target heart rate, subtract your age from the number 220. Then multiply that number by 0.6 (for 60%). For a 40 year old person, the math would be as follows:
220 – 40 = 180
180 x 0.6 = 108
So a 40 year old with a target heart rate at 60% of maximum would warm up for a few minutes and elevate and keep their heart rate at about 108 beats per minute for 20-60 minutes.
The following chart shows the amount of calories burned for different activities. Notice how the number of calories varies based on the weight of the person exercising (shown in pounds) and the MODE and INTENSITY of the exercise they choose.
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